Skip The Races, Track & Field's Corruption is More Fun To Watch

The sport of track and field is what Notre Dame football is today – an organization basked in glory for achievements awarded several decades ago. For most Americans track and field is watched either (1) every four years during the Summer Olympics and/or (2) when their unathletic child is relegated to the most basic of all sports because he/she was unable to use hand eye coordination effectively to perform decently in a stick and ball sport (I can say this because I was an unathletic child relegated to track and field).

Even the most revered track and field stars aren’t remembered for their actual winning, but more for winning under certain circumstances. Jackie Owen won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Think of all the things needed to be lined up for Owen to be remembered through time: (1) he had to be a minority (2) the Olympics were held in a time and place where Nazi Germany was dominating Europe (3) he had to be an American (4) and he had to win. If any of these four things did not happen, Jackie Owens would be as famous as Jaws 3 (yeah that’s right, the movie studios tried to make a Jaws Universe…). If Owen was British and won all those medals, Americans wouldn’t care and in turn, the world wouldn’t remember. Why? Because America is like what Disney is as a movie studio whereas Britain is more like Lionsgate. In other words, although you personally might not care about the newest Avengers movie coming out, you’ll be hard-pressed to not have heard about it. That’s what America is like when it accomplishes something – the whole world will know about it, regardless if the whole world really cares, because America will make the world care.

Track and field is also remembered for its doping more so than its winnings. Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter, was disqualified from his gold medal in the 100 meters that took place in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. This was made famous for several reasons: the first is that Carl Lewis, an American, would receive the 1988 gold medal and, secondly, Ben Johnson’s defense for doping did not vindicate him but rather implicated more of his fellow sprinters. Johnson’s defense was that he only used steroids in order to be able to more effectively compete with all the other sprinters who were also using steroids. Ironically, a report disclosed in 2003 by Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee’s director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, issued documents that revealed that 100 American athletes failed drug tests from 1988 to 2000. The documents revealed that Carl Lewis failed three drug tests in 1988 and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics.

Of course, the Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis stimulants were self-prescribed, whereas South African runner, Caster Semenya, was ordered to undergo “sex verification” testing after winning gold in the 800-meter at the 2009 World Championship. The international track officials ordered such testing due to her muscular physique and vast improvement. In the end the test results were never shared, and Caster was able to keep both her prize money and gold medal. Again, track and field entertains the viewers, not from the stories made at the finish line, but the stories made from it.

Rather than go into full fledge details, let me just end with this example – Caitlyn Jenner. Need I say more?

So, with all the off the track story lines hovering around this ancient, respected, boring sport, it Is no wonder that USA Track and Field, Inc., the nation’s track and field governing body, is in a leadership feud masked in all sorts of corruption. In 2016 Vin Lananna was elected as the USATF’s President, which holds a spot on the governing body’s board of directors. Lananna also operates a non-profit called TrackTown USA and Lananna is also an Associate Athletic Director of the University of Oregon since 2005. TrackTown helps facilitate certain international track events in America. One of these events, the 2021 World Championships, was awarded to Eugene, Oregon. However, the bidding process was nonexistent. The IAAF (the international body which governs and awards the venues for the races) bypassed the usual bidding process. The sole bidder, Vin’s TrackTown USA, won the 2015 bid even though Sweden pleaded that it wanted to place a bid but was unable to due to the IAAF awarding the 2021 World Championships to Oregon. In 2018 the U.S. Department of Justice got involved and questioned Vin regarding the TrackTown and the IAAF’s bidding process. In light of the federal questioning, the USATF board elected to place Vin on leave. Vin has been on leave since February of 2018.

This past February Vin filed a grievance with the USATF, claiming that he should be reinstated as the governing body’s president and that the directors violated the organization’s bylaws by placing him on leave, which is a power relegated to the broader organization’s membership. What becomes even more insightful is that Vin’s grievance alleged that in July of 2018 the board chair, Steve Miller, would allow Vin back as president, if he promised to support a bylaw change that would allow Miller to remain as the governing body’s chair. Miller was to end his tenure as a board member at the end of 2018 due to term limits set in the organization’s bylaws. Vin refused the deal, and because the bylaws weren’t changed Miller is no longer on the board. Please note that both positions, the president and chair, receive no payment in their roles.

So, what to make of all this corruption? Nothing really. This seems to be what keeps track and field in the lime light. If there weren’t any steroid issues back in the Summer of 1988, Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis would have been, most likely, forgotten. Jackie Owen stays relevant not because of his accomplishments, but because of the setting in which those accomplishments were completed. Then without Bruce turning into Caitlyn, he mostly would have been remembered as the “middle aged, one too many plastic surgeries, pale guy, who can’t stop staring at the backsides of his step-daughters” in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In other words, if track and field were without its off the course controversies, it would turn into your kid’s middle school track meet all over again – something that you felt obligated to watch but given the opportunity would do anything else instead.

An Unfortunate Tale Called, Josh Rosen

The 2019 NFL Draft has been officially over for about a week and a half. This year’s Draft was about as enticing as a sugar cookie without sugar. The slate of quarterbacks was two guys everyone knew (Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins) and a bunch of guys that people had to look up on Wikipedia when their names were called (Daniel Jones, Ryan Finley, and Drew Lock). Actually, what made this Draft, at least the first round, somewhat entertaining was the sheer inanity that the New York Giants’ general manager, Dave Gettleman and the Oakland Raiders’ brainless tyrant, John Gruden, used to make their picks. Gettleman picked quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick even though most experts had Jones going around the 20/21 pick. Gruden used the fourth overall pick to select defensive end, Clelin Ferrell, who was expected to go fifteen spots later. However, it would be Josh Rosen, a quarterback selected with the 10^th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft, who would make the 2019 NFL Draft most memorable.

Josh Rosen, in a way, could be stated to be the first NFL player to have been drafted twice. As cbssports.com’s Jason La Canfora iterated best, “the reality is . . . Rosen was the fifth quarterback selected in the 2019 draft, at pick No. 62, by the Dolphins, after fleecing Arizona.” That’s right. In a bizarre turn of events Miami gave up the 62^nd pick and a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft in order to receive the 10^th overall pick from the 2018 draft.

How did this happen?

The best answer is that Arizona is a terribly managed organization. Arizona should have put Josh Rosen on the trade block before the free agency period opened. This failure was exacerbated when, with the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, the Cardinal’s, with the “leadership” of their general manager, Steve Keim, selected Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Kyler Murray. Essentially it is well established that if a player, any player, but especially a quarterback is taken in the first round they are typically going to be starting sooner than later. Furthermore, unlike an offensive lineman, defender, or running back, there is usually only one quarterback who will start in a game. So, when Murray was picked, every NFL team knew that Arizona now had two quarterbacks, one of which they took with the first overall pick and the other would be contributing to his team by sitting on the bench. The trade appeal for Josh Rosen, or the asking price, just tanked for the Cardinals.

In many respects Josh Rosen is most likely glad he was traded. The dumpster fire Keim has continually fueled doesn’t seem to be letting up. In the offseason, prior to the start of the 2018 season, Keim was provided a contract extension after being arrested for a DUI. Keim then signed veteran quarterback, Sam Bradford, but would later trade three picks to move up so that Keim could select Rosen with the tenth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Now Keim has traded Rosen for the 62^nd pick.

In his one year in the NFL, Rosen is now on his fourth offensive coordinator. He started out with offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy. McCoy would be fired after week 7 of the 2018 season. Byron Leftwich, the former Jaguars and Steelers quarterback, would be the heir to the offensive coordinator position. Leftwich was fired upon Keim firing his head coach, Steve Wilkes, after Wilkes only had the job for one season. Keim would then hire Kliff Kingsbury, former Texas Tech head coach and a coach with a losing record, who inserted his new offensive coordinator – Tom Clements. Now, Rosen is in South Beach being coached by Chad O’Shea.  This systematic changing of the offensive coordinator coupled with the fact that, according to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals had the worse pass blocking offensive line in football last year, makes it no surprise that Josh Rosen struggled in his first year.

Will the Stars Be Brighter in Miami?

Unfortunately for Rosen, Miami seems like a dumpster fire in and of itself. Miami just hired a Bill Belichick disciple in Brian Flores. This would be a worthwhile selection if it wasn’t for the fact that Bill Belichick disciples have stunk as head coaches – Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Nick Saban (when he was an NFL coach). Then, of course, the same issues that plagued Arizona also plague the Dolphins – offensive line. Josh Rosen will be going from the 32^nd ranked offensive line to the 31^st ranked offensive line. That doesn’t seem to bode well for a guy who was sacked 45 times in just 14 games.

Finally, there is real concern that the Dolphins may, even without trying, “tank” this season and wind up with one of the top three draft picks in the 2020 draft. Many Dolphin fans have already set their sights on Alabama’s quarterback, Tua Tagoovailoa. If this were to happen, it seems Rosen will become a career backup. He will be remembered as an “involuntary bust.” An involuntary bust is a player who did not live up to expectations, not because his own doing, but his employer’s failure to fully develop their current talent. In Arizona, the front office got rid of the guys who coached Rosen just after a year, and then brought in their own quarterback to replace Rosen. In Miami the season will most likely be a dud with fingers pointed at Rosen and chants to “tank for Tua” growing even louder.

Rosen must play above and beyond this season in order to beat out Tua. That will be difficult to do considering Rosen is playing for a team whose season goal is to play bad enough to “earn” the “honor” to pick Tua.

Josh Rosen’s NFL starting career, although most likely will be brief, is a life lesson in how “being in the right place at the right time” can make all the difference.

CornerCube's 2019 NBA Team of The Year Award!

The Economist, a weekly world news periodical, every December reveals its “Country of the Year.” Now the countries picked are not always world powers or economic tycoons. The Economist basis its choosing off of “a country, of any size, that has changed notably for the better in the past 12 months, or made the world brighter.” The good workers at CornerCube have decided that they would like to do something similar to The Economist’s “Country of the Year,” but with an NBA team instead. Therefore, this article shall be known as the “Cornercube’s NBA Team of the Year Award.”

That’s right. This is not just some paltry recognition article but rather an award that an NBA team can hoist up alongside its championship banners in their arena’s rafters. There is no doubt that the New York Knicks’ ludicrous, cocaine infused owner, who was made rich from his father, James Dolan, will, after only reading these two short paragraphs believe that his meaningless franchise has a snow ball’s chance in Hell at winning the first CCNTOTYA (“ConerCube NBA Team of The Year Award.”).  That’s right; we believe this award is so deserving that it rightly earns its own abbreviations.  So, before James Dolan indulges in a celebratory line of coke, let it be known that the deplorable New York Knicks did NOT win the CCNTOTYA.

In fact, it should be known that there are actual and legitimate requirements to be considered a potential CCNTOTYA finalist. The first requirement is that a team must have made the playoffs. The NBA permits the top eight teams from each conference to enter that year’s playoff series. Therefore, the first requirement eliminates fourteen teams from being even initially considered.  Admittedly one qualm I do have with the NBA playoff format is the fact that it allows more than half the league to be in the playoffs. Sixteen teams out of a 30-team league is far too many. An eight seed, the lowest seed, has only upset a one seed five times and it has become even rarer after the NBA moved from best out of five game series to be best out of seven for first round games.

The second requirements is that for a team to be a finalist it must have won more games in that year’s regular season than it had lost. It is understandable to feel that this second requirement is both repetitive and frivolous. The logical thinking goes is that if a team made the playoffs, it should have won more games than it lost. However, because the NBA permits more than half its league to be in its playoffs and the fact that the NBA lacks plurality throughout its league, there are typically a few teams that are in the playoffs but with losing or .500 records. Ironically and thankfully, there was only one playoff team who was unable to earn a winning record – Detroit Pistons. Below are this year’s finalists:

2019 CCNTOTYA Finalists (Based off Requirements 1 & 2)
Western Conference	Eastern Conference
Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets	Toronto Raptors
Portland Trailblazers	Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder	Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs	Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Clippers

 

Similar to The Economists “Country of the Year,” the CCNTOTYA is not decided by the team with the best record or most glamorous statistics. If it was, Golden State would be the award winners each year, and not to brag, but the CornerCube likes to believe its award choosing is more unpredictable than the NBA Playoffs (i.e. it’s not a given that Golden State will win every year). Further, CornerCube does not like to relate to “rogue teams.” In this case Golden State is the closest team to, say, a rogue state. In other words, Golden State is the China of the NBA. After Golden State’s historic 2016 season in which they won the most regular season games in the history of the NBA but lost to Lebron James and his Cavaliers in the finals, Golden State resorted to buying talent to defeat Lebron. Golden State, even with its record breaking team, was unable to defeat the greatest player in the NBA. So they decided to woo an NBA MVP, Kevin Durant, away from his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to create a “mega team” in the Bay Area. Golden State is therefore like China, a country praised for its “innovation and economic winnings” but in reality, uses aggressive and ruthless trade tactics to acquire foreign trade secrets and technologies. Hence, because the CornerCube believes in the rules of a liberal world order and free trade, it will not stand to congratulate Golden State for its deplorable winning tactics.

 

Milwaukee, Toronto, and Philadelphia are all eliminated from contention. Not because they are bad actors but because what they have done this year is expected and has been routine. For instance, Toronto has been in the playoffs since the 2013/2014 season and has been ranked as either the Eastern Conference’s first seed or second seed in three of their last four playoff appearances. The Philadelphia 76ers have become dominant after years of “tanking”, but again they have managed to grab the same seed in the playoffs as they did last year – third seed. The CornerCube will admit that they are pleased to see Milwaukee, a Midwestern team, hold the highest seed in the Eastern Conference, but like Toronto and Philadelphia, this wasn’t a surprise. These teams each met expectations, but none of them exceeded expectations.

 

2019 CCNTOTYA Finalists
Western Conference	Eastern Conference
Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets	Toronto Raptors
Portland Trailblazers	Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder	Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs	Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Clippers

 

 

Next are the teams who failed to live up to expectations either due to injuries or disgruntlements within the locker room. Boston, for all intents and purposes, was thought to be a one seed in the Eastern Conference, but after head scratching losses, poor production at times out of their star rookie from last year, Jayson Tatum, and Kyrie Irving’s injuries/drama, they fell all the way to the fourth seed in the East. Furthermore, the psychological blunder that the team had endured after the media speculated that Boston could deal several of its young stars for New Orleans’ prime center, Anthony Davis, is also a culprit to their surprising losses. Houston, a team a year ago just one game from going to the finals, now finds itself at the four seed as well.  Although they have James Harden, who again will be named the league’s MVP, it seems that is all they are going to be remembered for. Chris Paul, their aging point guard, and Clint Capella, their star center, both have battled injuries this year and it was only thanks to James Harden that they were able to cling to the seed they are in now. Finally, Oklahoma City Thunder is a team who always seems to be a threat, but of late, gets eliminated quickly from the playoffs. It is remarkable how they are able to capture primetime TV coverage throughout the regular season.  This may be due to their outspoken and eccentric point guard, Russell Westbrook, more so than their actual play on the court. These teams this year have created a lot of noise and received a lot of coverage, but that might be all they are able create.

 

2019 CCNTOTYA Finalists
Western Conference	Eastern Conference
Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets	Toronto Raptors
Portland Trailblazers	Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder	Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs	Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Clippers

 

 

The Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers should be applauded for making the playoffs but that is all they should be applauded for. Although Orlando Magic, since Dwight Howard left, has been nearing NBA obscurity, they managed to win a division that only consisted of one team with a winning record – themselves. The Southeast division is comprised of the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic. This division was so bad that the people at CornerCube had to look up which teams were even in that division. The same could be said for the Los Angeles Clippers who play in the Pacific Division. Now although the Clippers play in the same division as Golden State, that may be the only team they play in their division, as the Clippers and Golden State were the only two team from the Pacific division to muster a winning regular season record. However, as an aside, the Clippers head coach, Doc Rivers, should be given a lot of credibility for managing to get his team a winning record, considering their roster is mediocre.

 

The Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Utah Jazz have become, what will be named as “filler” for the Western Conference playoff bracket. In other words, they are there to give the fans some excitement but for the most part they probably won’t muster anything past the second round. Each of these teams might make it close with the team they are going against, but none of them are legitimate contenders to make it to the finals, nor have either of them gone above expectations. San Antonio does deserve praise for dealing with the drama that Kawhi Leonard put them through and came out on top with the trade for Toronto’s All-Star, Demar DeRozan. However, San Antonio found itself again in the seventh seed. The Portland Trail Blazers did manage to win a playoff game this year, and thus avoided being swept in the first round like they have done in the two previous years. However, winning a game in the playoff series is not grounds for receiving the CCNTOTYA. Both teams are threats to make the playoffs interesting but it may just last for a series. The Utah Jazz made a splash last year by making the playoffs with their rookie, Donovan Mitchell. If the CCNTOTYA was around last year, this team would have received it. However, the award wasn’t around and the Jazz have mustered to receive the Western Conference’s fifth seed for the third season in a row. Although consistency is a hard skill to replicate, it is not enough to earn the CCNTOTYA.

 

2019 CCNTOTYA Finalists
Western Conference	Eastern Conference
Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets	Toronto Raptors
Portland Trailblazers	Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder	Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs	Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Clippers

 

 

Now it is down to the three finalists – Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets. Each of these three teams have not been on prime-time TV as much as they probably should have been. The Indiana Pacers are a team that took the 2018 Lebron led Cavs to a game seven of the opening round of the playoffs, but lost. Further, although the Pacers have again landed the fifth seed, like they did last year, they did it without their only “nationally recognizable” player – Victor Oladipo (who was also their only all-star selection). This deserves accolades, as most people wrote the Pacers off as soon as he ruptured his quad tendon. No one deserves the praise more than their head coach, Nate McMillan, as he seems to not be afraid to coach his team. This is a rarity in a league in which the players run most teams and also the league as well. Finally, the Pacers can credit their ability to win in another phase of the NBA that is a rarity – a willingness to play good defense. The Pacers finished the year as the third best defense. With all the adversity that the Pacers overcame, it is hard not to think that their brilliance may be due more to the fact that Lebron has left their division, than their actual team’s skill. They are a team that no one wants to play in the post-season, but, as history has shown, a team that lacks an all-star on its floor doesn’t usually stand a chance to win a championship. Further, the Pacers deserve praise for continuing to win without Oladipo.  But the fact that they finished in the same spot as last year, begs the question whether Oladipo was really that big of a boost.

 

The Denver Nuggets are a team that snuck up on the entire NBA. Led by their All-Star Serbian Center, Nikola Jokic and their point guard, Jamal Murray the Nuggets managed to earn the second seed in the Western Conference and had a shot at the first seed too. This team lacks the name recognition that Houston, Golden State, or even Oklahoma City might garner, but they are no team to discount. Mike Malone, the head coach, has improved this team from a winning percentage of 34%, back in 2013/2014, and has progressively gotten the team better each year since. In 2018 the team held a winning percentage of 65.9%. They are sixth best offense and the tenth best defense in the league and that is respectable considering they play in the NBA’s tougher conference – Western Conference. Although the Denver Nuggets went from missing the playoffs the previous year to being the second seed, it should not be ignored that Denver only missed the 2017/2018 playoffs in failing to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the last game of the regular season. Their vast improvement is respectable but not surprising. Their accomplishments should not go unnoticed but they will finish as the first CCNTOTYA runner-up. Congratulations.

 

As much as the CornerCube hates to boost up the ego any more than New York City needs it to be boosted already, the first ever CCNTOTYA goes to the Brooklyn Nets. An obscure franchise that was for a while best known for its minority owner, and rapper, Jay-Z, than for any talent they produced on the court. The Nets also were known for being on, what now looks to be, the losing end of the worst trade in NBA history. Not only did the Nets give up three unprotected first-round picks, in 2013, for aging Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry, but they also gave up their future to their division rival – Boston Celtics. Now the Celtics look to be a young fresh team and the credit goes to the Nets back in 2013 for providing an infusion of youth and talent to the Celtics. In turn, the fact that the Nets were able to jump from finishing, in 2017/2018, 12^th in the Eastern Conference to finishing, this year, as the six seed is respectable and ahead of schedule. Further, not only are the Nets back to relevance but so is D’Angelo Russell, a former first overall pick by the Lakers back in 2015, who is now looking like, well, a first overall pick. Russell made the NBA All-Star team this year. In addition, the team has won with not only the help from Russell, but the likes of Ed Davis, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. Finally, and what is most inspiring is the Nets made this turnaround without having to “tank” in previous seasons (unlike the team they are playing now in the playoffs – Philadelphia 76ers). Rather because of the trade in 2013 the Nets were forced into developing a team through pure acumen and strategy rather than “tanking and picking.” Now Brooklyn looks to be a destination for a possible premier All-Star, especially with the young talent like Russell, LeVert, and Allen who will only get better in the years to come. Congratulations to the Brooklyn Nets for being the 2018/2019 CornerCube NBA Team of The Year Award recipients!

 

2019 CCNTOTYA Finalists
Western Conference	Eastern Conference
Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets	Toronto Raptors
Portland Trailblazers	Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder	Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs	Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Clippers